The Washington critic., 1887-08-31
WASHINGTON, AUGUST 81. 1857
"RUNNING OVER THE PEOPLE"

Signor Barratonl, distinguished
Italian tourist, now in st. Louis, ex.
pressed himself to reporter of the
RepuJiicaa of that city the other day
as delighted with the United States In
many respects. especially with ~ NIT
ural scenery, It's energy, thrift and en-.
terprise, its tasteful aud substantial
architecture, and So ON.
"Ah, he said, "you would have n
very Paradise II you only had consiI.
tutional monarchy such as Italia Isl
but yours is the most unsatisfactory
government in the world. Your greu
corporations run over the people, some.
thing they could not do under mon.
arcby, aud corruption seems almost To
be a virtue"
So far as the corporations are con.
cerned. Siguor Btrrltpui Is not very
much mistaken. There is probably no
country In the world where the people
have been In the habit of submitting
so tamcly to the corporations as they
are here.
One cause for ills probably to he found
in the fact that in The United States,
where opportunities for the arcumula-
tion of wealth and the acquisition Of
political power are open to all, there Is
scarcely any man OF ordinary pros
poets In life but hopes some day to be
millionaire or the director of q great
corporation himself
1t may be that in a constitutional
monarchy like Italy the corporations
are under more rigorous control but
Americans as q rule would sooner take
the risk Of being run over by them
under Government of universal liberty
than TO have no voice in the choice Of
their government. The power that is
lodged In the people is much more TO
be depended upon in great emergen-
cies than the power that Is lodged in q
king.
Yet Signor Barratoni Is nearer the
truth than we could wish he were. He
has arrived at no loose or III considered
conclusion In the matter. If his obser-
vations extend over period of twenty
years past. he will find a great deal In
our legislative history to convince him
that the boasted power of the people,
however much to be relied on in criti-
cal periods of danger, has often been
subordinated to the power of tue cor
porations in the ordinary affairs Of life.
1t Is only recently that the Govern
ment seems to have risen to a true com.
prehensiOn of the situation. The result
is that a law for the regulation of rail
way traffic and interstate commerce has
been enacted; the grip Of enormous
land monopOles upon the public do
main has been broken; the workingmer
OF the country have obtained II
Congress more of hearing than they
ever had before. Even the inside his
tory of the Central Pacific will bt
wormed out Of Senator Stanford befor,
the investigation is through with.
All this, Slgnor Burratoni shoul,
bear in mind, is due to the pressure o
ala vancipg public sentiment. TIL
peop'e are gradually crawling out iron
under the corporations, and when thel
emancipation is comple'e-pray VIII
use would the United States have for
constitutional monarchy, even so goo
a one as that Of Italy'
Ex-Governor ST. JOHN denies tn
reiterated charge that he is trying
break down the Republican party.
Is foolish charge to make at best, a
II, politically speaking, this were not
free country where everybody Is look
ing out for his own interests withou
any particular concern for the othe
fellows. Mr. St. John Ia principal
engaged In building up the ProhlbItio
party which is clearly Legitimate en-
deavor. If the effect of his effort
tends to the breaking down Of the RI
publican party, 1t Is bad for the party
but 1t is not Mr.. st. John 3 fault.
He is under no obligations to foreg
what he conceiyes to be a righteou
purpose for fear some of his old friend
who don't agree with him may &C
hurt. II the Republicans had bee
thus sensitive to the feelings OF tn
Democracy along In the tiflies, ther
would never have been RepuJlca
party.
The growth of all new plrnes |
necessarily At the expense Of tue oil
parties, or there Is no growth.
Prohibition draws Republicans m
Den ocrats both from their rorme
affiliations, more OF The former pro'
ably than Of The latter, but wherein
Mr.. ST. john To blame Ior 'hi-2
prohibition is "a popular Thing it
bound to draw. II is something n
cannot be helped, hut II is the princip
and not the person that draws.
How silly II woud look for Dem
crals To 60 0 Mr. Henry George with
complaint that hr &, tylug to brea
down the Democratic party, sim
because The Lmnd lpbtr cause Is
greater draft un the D.mocsaio th.
it is on The Republican pprty, Equal
frivolous is il for Republicans lr ur.
slmi0r grievance poun,t SIR
John, as tnough Doe uer. g.prrat,r
some great WRONG I'M maintaining d
issue that thousands of Repubulcl
consider paramount 10 all others a,
deserving Of their political support
The extraordinary spectacle Of Jnr
hundred policemen and one hundr
soldiers engaged in cyicling po
widow for non payment of rent was d
sensation Of the day at Herberstog v